There were 36 seconds left when the ball dropped through the net, but the ensuring explosion from the stands made it sound like a game-winning layup to beat a nationally-ranked opponent. Who could cause such a rousing ovation for an otherwise meaningless basket?

Simple: Pete Dill.

"When coach puts me in, he doesn't want to divert from the gameplan," Dill said after the NJIT game. "I practice hard all week and know what we're going to do. I just try and go and play basketball. That's what I've done my whole life, but I have fun with it and try and not let my emotions get the best of me."

He is a walk-on, part of the charm and allure of college basketball. He is a senior and is otherwise regulated to the end of the bench, cheering on everyone else. He only gets in games when the outcome in already in hand. This is something that Dill — a native of Long Hill — knows and accepts.

But when he does get the rare chance to play, he's always had one goal in mind: Score. Tuesday night, he finally got his chance.

The layup were his first career collegiate points and now give him the opportunity to say that he scored at least once.

"That was kind of ugly," Dill said, poking fun at himself for his basket. "It was like, 'Get up there!' And hopefully it goes in. It almost rimmed out, though."

In the locker room after the win, Dill was the recipient of good-natured ribbing and teasing from many of his teammates. As he was grabbing some post-game oranges for the bus ride back to campus, senior point guard Jordan Theodore gave him a big hug from the side and yelled, "That's how a senior does it!" Others gave Dill high-fives on their way out.

As the game against the Highlanders began to turn into a rout, a group of friends began chanting Dill's name in the final minutes. They went wild when head coach Kevin Willard finally called his number and fellow walk-on, John Snow.

"They started to do it at halftime and we were only up by two," Dill said. "It was a couple of my friends and some of their friends. My family was sitting behind us on the bench. They weren't even chanting!"

Dill knows that his opportunities to get in games will likely evaporate as the season goes on. With the Big East schedule set to begin in less than three weeks, it's most likely going to be back to being a supportive member at the end of the bench.

Which is why he really wanted that layup to drop on Tuesday night.

"Everyone wants to get at least one," he said. "The last few years when I got in, I was looking to score. It's something that I wanted to do. I would like to get a point, but it's about the team first."

It's that mindset that makes him one of the most well-liked players on the team. In addition to supporting everyone else, he is always a constant foil to forward Herb Pope. That was why there was such a rousing ovation when he finally scored his first career points. Now, even if he never gets another shot off for the rest of the season, he can at least end his career in a Pirate uniform with two points to his name.

"It was something that I definitely wanted," Dill said with a smile. "It was an opportunity that I didn't want to let pass."

If you're wondering why Seton Hall (and NJIT) were wearing neon green sneaker laces on Tuesday night, it was because the two teams were participating in "Go 4 The Goal." It's a cause to help raise awareness and allow fight Pediatric Cancer. The foundation, was started in 2006 by Merchantville couple Richard and Beth Stefanacci, after their son Richard was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer. For more information, log on to go4thegoal.org.